A few weeks ago, we took you inside the architecture firm Goettsch Partners (here and here). When we were there, we spied a model of Northwestern University’s new Music Building on a shelf, and asked some questions. While the Goettsch people were very nice about answering most of them, some topics were still off-limits, and photographs were verboten. Now it seems the i’s have been dotted, and the t’s crossed, and...

Chicago has always been a city that looked “up.” We invented the skyscraper. When trolley traffic became too much, we elevated our railroads. We have the tallest building in the hemisphere. Heck, we even have a supermarket on the 44th floor of one of our buildings. Not too many cities can claim that. Maybe it’s time to elevate something else: Pedestrian traffic. There’s a group out there campaigning for Chicago...

After a business lunch at Steve’s Deli on Hubbard Street recently, we shot a couple of pictures of the hole in the ground that will soon become The Habitat Tower (360 East Hubbard Street). Most of the caisson work appears to be done, and the crane’s up, so it’s on to the foundation and pretty soon we’ll see steel reaching into the sky for what is planned to be a 45-story apartment building. For lots of...